Valentine’s Day…picture it; I’m eating dinner at an actual restaurant and seeing a movie afterwards! It would have to be a holiday for that to happen!
And so, after a lovely meal, we decided to go see a movie. And who would’ve guessed, but Nicholas Sparks had his new one out, just in time for Valentine’s day!
Let me begin with the cast. I think they did a fabulous job. I hate going to the movies and seeing the same actors. It was refreshing to see some new faces. The lead guy was charming. A bit of a player, a cutie, and had a pinch of a southern twang. The lead girl was pretty, feisty, and was confused with what she wanted. Or rather, who she wanted.
I’d have to say that I think Sparks’ other movies were better in content. Although there was plenty to like of this setup, he just didn’t deliver it as eloquently as the ones before it. This one worked up nicely to building a relationship between the two lead roles, but it quickly wrapped up and offered a second conflict to the story. It was like I was in a car traveling 20 mph, then it switched to 55, then we stopped, then it took off to 50, and slowed down to 15…all the way to the end. It got to the point, in the last twenty minutes, that I was looking around the theater, watching the lights on the wall. Searching out the exit sign. Because you knew where it was going, but it just kept dragging on.
He also failed to develop characters that were richly offered. The dad for example. The dad had a story all to himself. And the main guy’s relationship with his mother–the reason he was the way he was…emotionally detached. That was never dealt with. And there were even parts in the movie that was discussed, having not happened. You’d have to watch it in order to understand.
All in all, it was a nice thought but poorly executed. It felt patched and hurried. No wonder it received poor ratings. I’ll buy it when it comes out for sale, no doubt. If only to have in my collection of things to watch while I write out bills or other things.
As always, my favorite aspect of these movies is the location. I could live where this was filmed. I loved the low country scenes of the south. It made me want to dial up Realtor.com and search for real estate there!
